


Don't Lie to Me

by ThatOneGreyGhost



Series: Nicknames and Nightmares [3]
Category: MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bisexual Bruce Banner, Bisexual Natasha Romanov, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, De-Aged Tony Stark, Fuck Howard Stark, Gay Bucky Barnes, Gen, Howard Stark is a sick bastard, Howard and Maria time travel to the future, Other, Recovery! Tony, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark gets in trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:34:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28932600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneGreyGhost/pseuds/ThatOneGreyGhost
Summary: In the 1970's, Howard Stark created a machine to observe periods of time without affecting them, as if you actually went backwards in time. But when something goes wrong during test one, the project gets majorly scrapped.41 years later, Tony Stark figures out exactly why that machine never made it past the testing phase. The only bad part? His parents just showed up in his lab.
Relationships: pepperony
Series: Nicknames and Nightmares [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085735
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Don't Lie to Me

**Author's Note:**

> This literally will not leave my head so here.
> 
> Also, Fuck Howard Stark I hate him and I always will M'kay bye.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING! There will be some slurs used on the part of Howard regarding Bucky and Steve's relationship, and also regarding Rhodey and Sam. Basically, Howard is a trash human.

~1974, Manhattan, New York. Stark Residence~

"Howard! We are going to be late!" Maria calls from the other room. Howard isn't paying attention to her, Tony notices as he sneaks another screwdriver off the table. It doesn't matter; the party can't start without them, and it's not like Tony has to be worried, he's not even going.

"HOWARD!" Maria yells as she comes into the workshop, and now Tony hides, because no one is allowed in the workshop, not even Mommy, and Daddy doesn't like people in his workshop, and when the screaming starts, Tony hides behind the machine Daddy was working on, and suddenly sparks are hurting him, and Mommy and Daddy are yelling, and then there's quiet. Silence, oppressive to the point it's unnerving.

"Mom? Dad?" Tony calls, then a little louder; "MOM? DAD? ANYBODY?"

When no one answers Tony sits down and cries quietly. He stays like that until Jarvis finds him, almost three hours later.

He doesn't remember that incident.

~2015, Manhattan, New York. Avenger's Tower~

"I'm gonna touch it".

"Tony, I beg of you, do not touch it." Bruce sighs as Tony plugs in the strange machine. It looks like a toaster with a satellite dish on it, but it's also an unnaturally shiny chrome, with antenna sticking out everywhere. Tony twists the dials on the base of the machine, thinking about how an hour before it was released to him by SHIELD as one of Howard Stark's "Failed projects". Tony knew all about those; there had been plenty when he was a kid, and the older he got(And the more Howard drank), the more there were.

"I wonder how old this thing is?" Tony plays with the dials that display the test history; 1990, 1979, 1977, 1976, 1975, 1974. That last date catches his attention. This machine looks familiar, and he wonders if maybe he had been in the room during the first test...

"Looks like test one was in 1974. Very interesting. I wonder if we can get an exact date?"

"Tony, stop fucking with it!" Bruce sounds exasperated, which means Tony still has some time to mess with it before something goes wrong or Bruce threatens to tell Pepper.

"We can! Looks like... May 29th?" Tony's good mood is instantly soured. Figures, it would be just another day to his dad.

"Tony, I will tell Pepper." Bruce says, and Tony sits back, absently toying with one of the levers. He's not in the mood to test Bruce's boundaries.

"Yeah, I know." Tony flicks the lever, which falls down. The machine does nothing. Stupid piece of junk probably broke when-

Tony absentmindedly reaches out and touches the smooth surface of the dish, and the worst pain he has ever felt floods his body, shocks running up and down his skin, in his mind, lacing through the arc reactor- Oh God, he's going to die, isn't he?

Then an explosion sends his backwards into the lab table, and when he can stand to open his eyes again, the lab is filled with smoke.

And he's ridiculously small.

"Um, What the fuck?" Tony says, then notices his voice. "What the fuck?! I sound like a child!"

"You are a child, Anthony." A voice says, and Tony gets chills. It can't be... "And what have I said about playing in my workshop?"

"BRUCE!" Tony shouts, darting around the table and running smack into his friend, who looks thoroughly confused. "Bruce, tell me I hit my head. Or I'm dreaming. Or hallucinating. Anything but-"

"Howard, what did you do?" Maria's voice is sharp and clear, and Tony knows, even though he doesn't know how, that his parents are here. He turns and sees Howard's glaring eyes, Maria's panicked form, and he feels an intense hate he never knew was possible.

"Um, Tony. What did you do?" Bruce sounds more shocked than upset, so Tony clings to him. He knows what his dad is like, especially this late in the day.

"Bruce, meet my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Bruce, my lab partner. Welcome to the future, I guess." Tony scowls at his dad, who does not look amused.

"Your- Ah, Jesus." Bruce sighs as he pulls out his phone, dialing a number he now recognizes on sight.

The second Pepper picks up, Bruce eeks out "We have a problem".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tony!" Steve barges into the room, Bucky on his heels, blabbering about something Tony already knew but hadn't quite forgiven. Steve lays eyes on Tony, and is shocked; the man has shrunk considerably, and appears to have aged backwards as well. His brown hair is tousled, and his face isn't hardened by years of booze and cynicism. He looks young, with the exception of his eyes; the dull hazel orbs are cold with intense hatred and fear. That's probably the thing that shocks Steve most. He can't comprehend how someone so small can be so angry.

Not that he's one to talk.

"What happened?" Steve asks, taking note that Thor, Nat, and Bruce are already here, and Pepper, being the one who called them, already knows. "You're so..."

"Frickin' adorable! Jesus, Stark, you were a cutie!" Bucky says, giggling at Tony as he leans forward. Tony narrows his eyes at Bucky, clearly pissed.

"Buck, stop. Tony, what happened?" Steve says, taking charge in a movement that's so fluid it's almost hard to believe he had to practice it at one point.

"Don't shit a kitten, but I was messing with one of my dad's failed projects, and then it blew up. AndIalsomighthavebroughtthemintothefuturedontkillmeplease." Tony flinches as he says the last part, like he's expecting to be hit, which both shocks and saddens Steve. He and Tony don't always see eye to eye, but does he really think Steve would hit him?

"Wait, what was that last part?" Steve asks. Behind him, there's a sharp gasp, and then a quiet, "He's alive?"

"Oh boy, here we go." Tony rolls his eyes as Steve turns and sees, standing in the doorway with a shocked expression on his face, someone he never thought he'd see again.

"Howard?" Steve is so confused he doesn't even know where to begin, but Howard looks... relieved? Maybe even grateful? Steve can't place that expression, but he knows it, he's sure he does.

"Oh shit." Bucky says, panic evident in his voice. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Stevie..." Bucky clings to Steve, the knuckles of his flesh hand white as he stares at Howard, clutching Steve's shirtsleeve. "I told you about Program Failsafe, right?"

"You did. I did not expect it to be a problem." Steve says, turning to Tony as he holds Bucky back. "Tony, he can't be in the same room as them. It's part of the programming, he can't help it".

"He can take a crack at Dad if he wants." Tony bites, his voice brittle and cold. Steve has to restrain Bucky as he lunges forward, gasping words in Russian.

"NAT!" Steve calls before returning his attention to Tony. "What do you mean, he can-"

"Солдат! Отойдите, эти люди не ваша цель.[Soldier! Stand down, these people are not your target.]" Nat barks, and Bucky visibly calms, then stands straight. "С этого момента вы должны сопротивляться всем предыдущим приказам, ясно?[You are to resist all prior orders from this point forward, is that clear?]"

"Да командир[Yes commander]." Bucky says dully, then he relaxes again, the urge to kill leaving him. "Thank you, Tasha".

"A Ruskie? I'd've thought we'd kicked their asses, if this really is the future like he said." Howard waves in Tony's direction, glaring between Nat and Bucky. "And weren't you dead?"

"Howard, obviously it's a trick!" Maria hisses, grabbing his sleeve.

"The levels of weird this is causing just hit a new record. I'm gonna go take a nap." Bucky says, and though Steve pleads for him to stay, it's probably the smarter choice all around.

"Wait, you didn't answer my question!" Howard snaps.

"And you don't fucking own me, Howard. Go suck a fish's ballsack."

They watch as Bucky leaves. Tony bursts out laughing the second he hears the door close, the chiming sound strange to Steve's ears.

"Well, my respect for your boyfriend just went way the hell up. Jarvis, give him Avenger's clearance." Tony grins at the ceiling, oblivious to Steve's sudden look of horror.

"Boyfriend?" Howard asks, looking towards Steve. "Huh. In all the time that I knew you, I never took you for a faggot".

That gets everybody's attention, and as Steve blushes and looks down, Nat comes over and stands next to him, glaring at Howard. Tony just groans, muttering "Shit, I forgot", and Bruce goes slightly green as he forces himself to stay calm. Thor, who has been watching calmly this whole time, hoists Mjolnir and lets it produce a small wave of static that rolls across its surface, crackling viciously.

"Dad, I never said you were a good man, but let me make something clear; You can't say that kind of thing now." Tony says, moving to stand next to Steve and looking his father in the eye. Which is terrifying, because Howard is terrifying.

"Be quiet, Anthony, the adults are talking." Howard snaps, and that's all it takes to get him to shut up, to flinch back, because he doesn't want to make his dad angry here, they'll know, they'll know what a horrible person he is-

*Stop it* He thinks, smacking his cheeks lightly. *That's what he wanted you to think, that it was your fault he drank, that he screamed, that he hit you. Stop it now*

Nat has stepped in front of him, glaring at Howard. "I don't like you." She declares loudly.

"I'll get over it, you Russian bitch. Step away from my son".

Tony flinches at the way it comes out in a growl. He doesn't want to be hit, he doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want everything to come back, it's too much.

"No, I don't think I will." Nat says, and that's when Howard slaps her, backhanding her in a way she must have seen coming. Tony gasps loudly, and once again, the room freezes.

"You shouldn't have done that." Steve growls, glaring daggers at Howard until Nat holds up her hand, effectively holding him back.

"Steven, please. He's mine." Nat smiles a deadly smile, and turns her gaze towards Howard again. "I hope you enjoyed that, because it's the last one you'll ever walk away from. Try something like that again and I will relish in your pleas for death".

"If you could stop me, why'd you let it happen?" Howard almost looks like he's gloating.

"Because I wanted everyone in this room to see exactly what you are." Nat smiles sweetly, then turns away, skipping towards the counter as Clint comes in.

"What the fuck?" Clint yells, and the questions begin anew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony spends at least two hours in the workshop trying to fix the damn machine, but nothing is working. It doesn't help that Howard somehow got into his workshop and is blabbering left and right about what Tony's doing wrong. Thank God Bruce is here, or that wouldn't be all he'd be doing.

"If you'd just let me-" Howard was saying for the millionth time, and Tony is so fucking tired that he snaps back out of habit.

"Would you shut the fuck up already!" Tony barks, reaching for a screwdriver on the table. It's not until a few seconds later that he realizes what he's done.

He barely has time to think *Oh No* before Howard takes up a handful of his hair, jerking him away from his workstation as he cries out in pain.

"What did you just say to me?" Howard growls, quick and sharp, just like when he's mad. Tony whimpers as the grip on his hair tightens, pulling him out of his seat.

"HEY!" Bruce shouts suddenly, and Howard lets him go, quickly, so as not to raise any suspicion. Just like always. "What are you doing!"

"I... I'm sorry. I've had a few drinks, I wasn't thinking." Howard mutters slowly. The same excuse every time. Tony is getting sick of hearing it. But he's stuck in a four year old's body, what can he do? Fight Howard?

"Clearly you weren't. I think it's time you went to bed." Bruce says sharply, and Howard snaps his gaze up, anger flaring in his posture.

"Excuse me?"

"You're going to do what I say, or I'm going to make it so you can't leave the guest floor, you fucking bastard. I saw what I saw, and you can't even try to explain it away. You're lucky I haven't done anything to you. Yet".

"You would dare to tell me how to raise my son?" Howard roars. He's had a few drinks, alright; he must not have figured out that's not going to work here.

"I doubt you were the one that raised him. J, lock all equipment for the night and direct Mr. Stark, Sr. to his floor. Tony, you're going to bed".

"I'm not a child, Bruce. I've pulled all-nighters before." Tony barely stifles a yawn as he says it. He's more tired than he thought.

"You're in a child's body, and you are not working down here on your own until we get this sorted out. Bed." Bruce points at the elevator, and Tony stumbles towards it until Bruce hisses "Oh, just let me carry you" and scoops Tony up bridal style. Tony tries to protest, but when he opens his mouth, a loud yawn escapes him, and he blinks lazily against the pull of sleep. Bruce hums absently, carrying Tony towards the elevator as Jarvis tells Howard how to get to his floor. The second the elevator doors close, Tony visibly relaxes, laying his hand against Bruce's chest as his breathing evens out, his eyelids slipping shut while the sound of Bruce's beating heart lulls him to sleep.

A nightmare yanks him from his slumber two hours later, and as he bolts upright, he becomes aware that someone else is in the room. That someone else is sitting beside his bed, waiting, and Tony, in a moment of panic, forgets where he is.

"Jarvis!" He cries out, and his small voice gifted by his small body takes him back to when he was actually four years old, by that time he knew better than to call for his mother or father. Tears roll thickly down his face, and he gives a small whimper as he tries again. "JARVIS!"

"Tony?" Jarvis is saying, but it's not Jarvis, because the voice is too smooth, too intimate. And Jarvis never calls him "Tony", its always "Anthony" or "Young master Stark". Someone sits on his bed, and when he looks up, Bruce is looking at him, concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Bruce is treating him like a child, but he doesn't much care, and as sobs well up in him, he finds he doesn't have the energy to suppress them. He clings to Bruce and sobs quietly as the scientist draws him into a hug, a soft "oh, Tony" escaping him. Tony cries and cries, the quiet sobs working up into broken wails and back down again, his fear and anger and exhaustion pouring over into his eyes and out as water. By the time he's regained control of himself, all that's left is a soft whimper as he clings desperately to Bruce not wanting to let go of the first truly positive contact he's had in years.

"Thank you." He whispers, just barely, but he knows Bruce has heard it.

"What for?" Bruce's voice is gravely, like he's been crying. Has he been crying?

"For... everything, I guess." Tony says, sniffling quietly. "For being my friend and putting up with my shitty attitude and my shitty habits and not running away. For being here".

Tony waits a second, then adds quietly, "For standing up to my dad".

"He has no right to treat you the way he did." Bruce's voice goes hard with anger, which Tony can't entirely understand. Bruce... is siding with him? Taking Tony's side? 

"He didn't mean it." Tony dismisses, and the pang of guilt that runs through him tells him he knows that's a lie.

"Tony... Was he like that all the time?" Bruce asks carefully, and Tony knows that Bruce knows. He knows, and what's worse is he's not even mad.

"Only when he was drunk." Tony says, dismissing again.

"And how often was he drunk?"

Tony knows his silence is very telling, but he can't lie to Bruce. Not now. Not ever again.

"Tony..."

"Almost all the time. The older I got, the worse it was. I was sure, up until Steve told me about the winter soldier program, that he had gotten himself wrapped around a tree while plastered, and that was how he got both himself and my mom killed." Tony sniffles, and the tears push at his eyes, threatening to come back. "I know it was my fault-"

"No." Bruce says sharply, so sharply that Tony thinks for a second he's angered Bruce. "That wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. He hurt you, he chose to hurt you, and he won't get away with it here. He's never going to hurt you again, Tony, not as long as there's something I can do about it. Okay?"

Tony tries to say that won't be necessary, but all that comes out is a strangled sob as he buries his face in Bruce's chest. Bruce holds him close, tears dripping from his eyes into Tony's hair, and tries to say what can't be said.

"Do you want me to brush your hair?" Bruce asks after a while, switching on a little lamp on the bedside table. Tony notices for the first time that he's not in his room, but he's more interested in what Bruce just said. "It's kind of calming, when it's done right. Plus, your hair is longer now".

"Yeah, ok." Tony mutters, and Bruce goes and gets a small brush out of the dresser on the other side of the room, moving with comfortable familiarity. So they're in Bruce's room. Bruce sits back down and motions for Tony to sit in his lap, which Tony does. He sits there, letting Bruce pull knots out of his hair. The repetitive motions calm him, and soon he's relaxed enough that he can sit comfortably.

"I don't think you should be left alone with him." Bruce says after a little while. Tony tenses slightly at that, but decides he agrees.

"No." Tony murmurs.

"Do you want me to tell the rest of the team?"

"That he... y'know".

"Yes".

Tony has to think about that. On the one hand, he doesn't like that part of his past revealed. On the other, it might be good for the team to see exactly what Howard is. On the other other hand, it will be a lot harder to convince them not to say something. Tony doesn't want to get caught alone if they end up confronting Howard. He knows what his father is like.

"I don't want to be left alone with him. But don't tell them that he... Just tell them you got a bad feeling and want me to be safe. They'll believe that".

They'll also ask him about it, but now he has time to prepare a story, one that won't get him in trouble with his father.

"Tony, are you sure? If they know-"

"I don't want them to know, Bruce." Tony snaps, and Bruce stops talking about it. After a minute, Tony starts to feel guilty. Bruce is just trying to help, he doesn't deserve to be snapped at. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that".

"I forgive you. I know it's a bit of a sensitive topic".

Bruce finishes brushing his hair, and he motions for Tony to go back to sleep. Tony crawls under the covers, snuggling down as Bruce puts the hairbrush away.

"How come Jarvis didn't answer me?" Tony asks, curious as he reflects on his violent awakening.

"Your voice commands weren't recognized, remember? You haven't been given guest permissions, you insisted that this was only going to last a few hours and there was no point in a command you were just going to delete after three hours. Do you want me to-"

"No, it's ok." Tony becomes aware of just how young and childish his voice sounds. "Just... stay with me? Just in case?"

Bruce smiles softly and sits down next to Tony, humming a whisper of a response. "Of course".

Tony smiles, and lets himself drift, still tethered but quickly fading into the realm of unconsciousness. Bruce's absentminded humming turns into singing, a soft lullaby that Tony is sure he knows, even if he's not quite sure how. Eventually, he fades away altogether, and is left with a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Steve. I'm bored".

Tony is sitting on the couch with his legs against the back and his head hanging over the seat. Steve is sitting next to him, sketching something he won't let Tony see. A holographic screen is playing a stupid TV show, and while Tony resents being treated like a child, he's glad Steve isn't being an asshole.

"Go work in the lab, then." Steve unhelpfully suggests. Howard waltzes into the room at that exact moment, narrowing his eyes at Tony. Tony sticks out his tongue. He's a child now, he might as well behave like one.

"I can't. I'm not allowed down there without Bruce's supervision, and Bruce isn't here, he's doing some science thing in Kentucky." Tony wrinkles his nose at the holoscreen. "This show is crap. Who watches this stuff?"

"Children. And since when do you follow rules of any kind?"

"Since they-" Tony cuts off. *Since they're for my safety* he thinks, but doesn't say aloud. If he says that, Steve will know, and he doesn't want Steve to know. If there's anyone he doesn't want to know, it's Steve.

"Who gave that fag permission to sit near my child? Get away from him you pervert!" Howard says loudly. Steve looks up sharply, and for a second Tony thinks he's going to explain everything, or say it was a joke.

He does not expect Steve to say, "Nice to know you're still a dick, Howard. I was hoping a wife and kid would settle you down, but honestly I'm surprised you got married at all. Her parents threaten to drag your name around if your son was a bastard?"

Tony is equal parts impressed and hurt, but Howard looks pissed.

"Listen here, you fairy fucker. I've tried to be kind, I've tried to be patient, but you messed with the wrong scientist. How dare you comment on how my relationships went when you're going straight to hell, you fucking queer".

"My ears are burning!" Bucky says in a singsong voice as he glides in, flipping a switchblade in his flesh hand before throwing it at the corkboard just left of Howard's head. The man nearly pisses himself laughing when Howard lets out an undignified squeak.

"Buck!" Steve sounds both amused and exasperated, and Tony can see that the two expressions are at war on his face.

"Bucky, don't kill my dad. I happen to like this life." Tony sighs.

"I'm not gonna kill him, I just wanna spook him a little. I heard a couple words you shouldn't be throwing around, and I thought I oughta rescue you." Bucky, who has made his way over to the couch, leans down and gives Steve a peck on the cheek. "Tasha wants to take me on a clear-out mission. Is that ok with you?"

"Only if it's ok with you. I know it can be hard for you to control yourself." Steve smiles patiently, and Tony fakes a gagging noise, which earns him a icy glare. "Plus, it's only been, what, 6 months since you came back? Be kind to yourself, Bucky".

"But I'm boooooooooooooored." Bucky says, flopping dramatically into Steve's lap. Tony rolls his eyes and makes another gagging noise.

"Gross, you two. Get a room." Tony has to stifle a giggle when he sees Steve's irritated expression.

"You know what, Tony? I don't bring up the Sarah incident every time you-"

"That was once, and I was drunk so it doesn't count!" Tony yells, sitting up straight as Bucky laughs his way out of the room. Pepper walks in shortly after, raising an eyebrow at Tony's red face.

"Someone here to see you, Tony." Pepper says, and when Tony catches sight of the person behind her-

"RHODEY!" Tony shouts, a huge smile breaking out on his face as he runs and gives Rhodey a hug, despite the man's apparent surprise. "Save me, Cap's engaging in PDA and my virgin eyes can't take it!"

"Stark, you are in no way a virgin." Steve deadpans, not looking up from his drawing pad.

"That's true, Tones, but can I ask what the heck is going on?" Rhodey says, picking up Tony and staring him in the face.

"Who's this?" Howard asks in a manner that's almost innocent.

"It's a long story. I was messing with something I shouldn't have-" Tony pointedly ignores the sound of his dad clearing his throat. "And I may have accidently de-aged myself. And also brought my parents here."

"You- Jesus, Tony. Ok." Rhodey puts Tony down, looking at Howard, who is cluing into the fact that this is one of Tony's friends. The exact moment he figures it out is clear in his features, and when Howard looks at Tony, there is nothing in his eyes but rage.

"You're friends with a nigger?" Howard growls, and the shock that crosses Rhodey's face is so sharp it hurts. "Anthony, I know I raised you better than that".

"Actually, you didn't raise me at all. So if you could stop with the slurs, they're not allowed in my house." Tony says, turning back to Rhodey. "Ignore him, he's only here until we find a way to send him back. The whole 'four year-old body' thing I can wait on, but him... He's gotta go".

"Anthony, I am your father. You will obey me!" Howard snaps, and when Pepper moves to stand between his approaching father and him, he has a moment of panic. If Howard hits Pepper, he will let Bucky kill him, consequences be damned.

"Yeah, about that, Dad." Tony muses over something, then takes a different direction. "You didn't really think I'm the same four year old you left at home? I am- was- a fully functioning adult with friends and a job, and you can kiss my ass. My Tower, my house, my rules. Got it?"

Howard looks flabbergasted, but seems to understand there's nothing he can do while there's other people in the room. He turns on his heel, huffing as he stalks out of the room. Tony feels smug for all of thirty seconds until he remembers what Howard will do to him if they're ever caught alone. Rhodey looks in the direction his dad staked off in, humming thoughtfully.

"So that's your dad." Rhodey muses. "I gotta say, Tones, I'm not impressed".

"Honeybear, you have no idea how good it is to hear you say that." Tony sighs, collapsing onto the couch next to Steve. 

"Tony, how did you turn out better than him?" Pepper asks, wonder and adoration filling her eyes. "Cuz you're doing something right, baby".

He shrugs non-committally, then asks for lunch. Rhodey volunteers to make sandwiches, and they make small talk before eating in silence.

Tony is in the middle of destroying his juice-box straw with his teeth when Steve asks out of the blue, "Did Howard ever hit you?"

Tony freezes, straw hanging out of his mouth. Shit, shit, shit! How did Steve figure it out? How much trouble is he gonna be in? Fuck, fuck, fuck, this can't be happening!

"Why do you ask?" Tony says, keeping his voice as level as possible.

"I saw him flexing his hands, and I remembered he used to do that when he wanted to hit someone. First time I noticed was when he backhanded me for knocking over a tray of blood samples. Figured he was tired and I earned it, but then I started noticing how he did it more, and always when he wanted to hit somebody. I saw him doing it when he looked at you and..." Steve pauses, trying to articulate. "I just want to make sure you're safe is all".

Tony doesn't know how to answer that. Steve admitting he got backhanded is news to him, but also concerning. Steve was his Dad's perfect creation, the one who could do no wrong. If even Steve could get on his Dad's bad side then, well, who was safe?

"Yeah." Tony finds himself saying, before he can censor himself. He flails to cover up his blunder. "But only when he was drunk. He would never hit me if he was in control".

Steve's expression changes several times before it settles on one Tony has rarely seen; pity. Tony is almost offended until Steve looks away, quickly swiping at tears that stroll involuntarily down his face. Steve knows that pain, Tony recognizes, and while he's not sure how, Steve also knows he's lying.

"That's not an excuse." Steve says quietly. "That's never an excuse. I'm sorry, Tony. I wanted to believe he was a redeemable man, but..."

Steve's apology encompasses several things; it's not just 'I'm sorry your dad hit you', it's also 'I'm sorry I glorified a monster', 'I'm sorry I couldn't help', even, perhaps, 'I'm sorry I didn't believe you'.

It means a lot to Tony, in a way he's not ever sure he can express. It helps bring some humanity to Steve, humanity that Tony couldn't see before.

"Thank you." Tony says quietly as Pepper wraps an arm around him. "That means a lot, Steve".

Steve just hums halfheartedly and asks Jarvis when Bucky's gonna be back. Tony pretends not to notice the tears staining his face as Rhodey pulls out a deck of cards and teaches Tony Crazy 8s.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure about this?" Bruce asks again. Tony fidgets nervously in his chair, trying hard not to scream at Bruce for asking that question for the fifteenth time in as many minutes.

"Yes, I'm sure. And Bruce, if you ask me again, I'm not responsible for what happens".

"Well, ok. Jarvis, bring them in".

The door to the conference room opens, and Pepper, Rhodey, Steve, Nat, Bucky, Clint, and Sam come in. Thor is off world again, saying that he 'doesn't wish to cause incident' with his 'Asgardian ways'. Most of the team takes seats around the table, with Bucky and Sam standing next to each other in the middle of what appears to be a pinching war. Tony glares at them, and once he's certain they won't miss what's being said, he begins.

"So, as some of you have figured out, my Dad is... not the greatest." Tony lets out a slow breath at the nods and 'mhms' he gets. "What you may not know is that he... hit me. A lot, actually".

There's silence at the table, but Tony notices how Steve has folded his hand together and pressed them to his mouth, how Nat has put both her hands under the table and is turning her chair back and forth, how Pepper is fiddling with her necklace. Nervous ticks, he notices. But he also notices the pure rage in Clint, Rhodey, and Bucky's eyes, and the way Sam stands up just a light straighter.

"I'm only telling you guys this because it's gotten to the point where I can no longer hide my discomfort around him. I don't feel safe, and there's not much I can do. As much as I hate it, I'm going to have to be totally dependent on you guys until we either fix this-" Tony gestures at his body. "Or we send him home. Any questions?"

"Can we kill him?" Clint deadpans, but even though it's meant to be a joke, Tony has to seriously consider it.

"No, it'll screw with the timeline. Plus, I like this life. It's good".

"Where does your mom fit into all this?" Bucky asks, and damn that's a tough question.

"She... I guess the term that would best fit is negligent? She's negligent, doesn't- didn't- pay much attention to me. She's alright, I guess. It's my dad I'm worried about".

Nat looks at him, thoughtful, then says something to Bucky in Russian. Bucky listens, nodding before responding in Russian, then asking her a question. Nat shakes her head vigorously.

"Suit yourself, it's not like he doesn't already know the basics." Bucky says in English, shrugging before turning away.

"Это принцип, Джеймс. Вы бы не хотели, чтобы я рассказывал им о вашем коде запуска, не так ли?" Nat hisses before slumping back down, arms folded.

"You guys wanna clue me in?" Tony says, wary.

"She said... Well, what she said literally translates to 'Startup code' but it basically has to do with trigger sequences and how HYDRA sucks butt. Since Nat doesn't want to share, I'll have to give you my end of the story, which was that I know what it feels like to be belittled with the sole purpose of it creating a harness of control. I also know that you've probably been struggling with the idea that it's not your fault, and that it took a lot for you to admit what was happening. Thank you for trusting us with this information. I promise I will do whatever I can to keep you safe".

"That's a lot of words for something that means 'startup code'." Tony jokes, trying to push away the intense feelings of gratitude he feels for what Bucky just said. What Bucky went through at the hands of HYDRA is infinitely worse than anything he ever went through, but he's grateful nonetheless.

"Well, she said more than just that, I just wanted to give you the basics is all. Plus, a lot of what she said has to do with that thing I can't mention cuz she doesn't wanna share".

"The point is, we have a fair idea of what you're going through, and we want to help." Nat says before turning and glaring at Bucky. "And you, James, are an ass".

"That's fair." Bucky shrugs. "So, we already have the 'Don't leave Tony alone with McBastard', but what else can we do?"

"Tread lightly." Tony says, fiddling with his shirt sleeve. "Howard will try to take out on me anything that annoys him. If you don't rock the boat, no one gets wet".

"You shouldn't have to be in fear of him." Steve says, his words cold and blunt. "He's a bully and a coward and I'm damn sorry there's nothing in there worth saving, but he can't get away with pushing you around. He doesn't deserve that power".

"I get where you're coming from, really, I do, but the best thing right now is to not cause fights." Tony kicks his feet under the table like an actual child, but in reality, he's so nervous he could die. "It's better for everyone involved, and the less he has to be angry about, the less I have to worry".

"Ok, so we should probably also make sure Steve has a chaperone at all times, or at least when he's in the Tower." Bucky says, giving a sarcastic snort when Steve gawks at him. "Don't look at me like that, you pick fights with anything that moves".

"Yeah, that would actually help a lot." Tony smiles warmly, and it feels real. When was the last time he really smiled? He doesn't know.

"Anything else?" Bruce pushes.

"Pepper." Tony says, and when Pepper gives him a blank look, he elaborates. "He knows you're important to me. If he hit you or threatened you in any way, I'm not sure I'd ever forgive myself. I want you out of the Tower until he's gone".

"Tony, I can protect myself, and I'd rather be here with you".

"I know you can, but I'd feel safer if you weren't here. I promise I'll call if I need you, but please, until he's gone, stay away".

"Ok..." Pepper still looks uncertain, but Tony can see that she's going to do it, and he relaxes just a little more when she agrees.

"Thank you, Peps. That means a lot." Tony says quietly. He takes a minute to refocus, then starts listing his other ideas. "I also want a curfew on him, and no access to Jarvis after that curfew. He's plenty clever, so we should expect him trying to hack access at some point. And I want full access to Jarvis' diagnostic log. If he goes poking around in there I'll see it. Is everyone familiar with Blackout mode?"

Most of the people at the table nod, but Bucky and Sam just look confused. Rhodey knows, Tony knows he knows, but he also looks like he could use a refresher.

"Right, so for those who don't know, Blackout mode is what happens in the Tower when Jarvis is down. As you know, the Tower is run largely by him, and doesn't function very well when he's turned off. This includes elevators, the reactor, resident location, internal comms, cybersecurity, normal security, and entrance to the building. In the event we go into Blackout mode, all of those things turn off, and the building goes into lockdown. This would normally only happen if the reactor were severely damaged, but it might also happen if Jarvis' ability to combat invasive programs failed or he himself were hacked. It would also happen if- and this is very unlikely- we were to all die in an attack. In the event of an attack where we all die, Jarvis' motherboard would also melt, destroying his program. Again, it's very unlikely, but it could happen, and Jarvis won't be able to stand up to hacker's without human moderated updates. The info he has is too important. You with me so far?"

Sam and Bucky nod, but Rhodey looks completely lost. Tony knows he's told Rhodey this before.

"In the event we go into Blackout mode, we would not be able to contact each other, so every team member is alerted by the lights in each room dying to complete darkness for exactly one second. You will notice this, because the windows will also tint to darken the room before the lights return to normal. If it's past 7:30 pm, you'll also hear a shrill beep. You will not be able to contact anyone through internal comms, but the Wi-fi will still be operational, so we can call each other via cell phone. Elevators will not work, but the emergency panel will be unlocked, so you will be able to open the back walkways. Bucky, Sam, have Steve show you where those are. If we are ambushed during that time, and it could happen, we will not know right away. I want you all on extra high alert if that happens. If something in the Tower becomes damaged due to the transition, the lights in the immediate vicinity will turn red and they will stay that way until either the blackout is lifted or the thing is fixed. The blackout is lifted by two passcodes in the reactor room that have to be entered within thirty seconds of each other or else the room locks down. Currently, I have one, Steve has the other, but if we become injured or are dying, we must pass on the passcode to other people. I'll have to clear both of you to input the passwords, but that's a simple fix. Any questions?"

"Yeah, how do you activate it?" Sam asks. Tony smiles, then turns towards Bruce, who's been working on his permissions. Bruce nods, and Tony turns towards the ceiling.

"Test run, program 683. Activate on signal, lift when test complete." Tony turns towards Bucky and Sam, then gives another wide grin. "That's so I don't actually have to turn it on. Do as I do, when necessary. Jarvis, slow transition to midnight mode".

"Beginning transition." Jarvis chirps, and as the lights start to dim, Tony knocks the table three times. The knocks are evenly spaced, and Tony smiles as the lights turn completely off for exactly one second, then come back up as if nothing happened.

"Jarvis?" Tony asks. No response. "Jarvis, play Back in Black by AC/DC". Again, no response. "Jarvis, test complete".

The AI is back at that. "Test now completed. Program 683 is completely functional".

"Any more questions?"

There are not, and when Tony leaves the room, he's satisfied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sir, as per Dr. Banner's request, I must inform you that you have been working for exactly three hours with no interruption. I request you take a small break." Jarvis' voice chirps. Tony rolls his eyes, glaring at Bruce's headphone covered ears across the lab.

"Request denied." Tony turns back to the stupid machine that caused this in the first place, tweaking the antenna and running tests.

"Sir..." Jarvis' voice carries a hint of warning, and Tony knows he'll tell Bruce(cos he's a little snitch), so he gets up.

"Fine. Let Bruce know I went to get a glass of water, K?" Tony stretches as he gets to the elevator, asking for their shared floor when he gets inside. Getting up to the shared floor where they all live, Tony passes by some of the bedrooms, walking past one with a slightly open door. Steve and Bucky's bedroom, specifically.

"You don't know what you're doing, and you need to stop before someone gets hurt!" Steve's saying. Trouble in paradise, Tony guesses.

"It's none of your goddamn business and you know it, Steven! We're both adults, stop pretending you know what's best!" That's his dad's voice. Interesting...

"He's a child, Howard! You have no business treating him the way you do, and if I had lived to see him born, I never would have let you take him home!"

Tony freezes. They're talking about him. Oh, shit, Steve went and did the one thing Tony asked him not to do and-

"I wish you'd stayed dead. Clearly you've forgotten what you're supposed to be." Howard says sharply, and Tony has to stifle a gasp at what comes next. "I made you, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle, and I made that bottle".

"You didn't. You just used it. And if you thought for a second I was ever going to bend to your will, then you must not be a smart as I thought." Steve pauses, suddenly aware of Tony's presence. Tony's not sure how he knows, he just does. "If you wanted a perfect soldier, you should have insisted Eskrine get someone else. I am not, and will never be, your perfect soldier. Stop chasing perfection Howard. You've already been burned, but you might still have time to save your son from the fire".

Steve opens the door then, giving Tony something in between amused and pissed. Tony gave him a sly smile before catching Howard's stone cold glare. He glances away, but then Steve is picking him up, saying "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?"

"Gosh, no, Captain America, sir." Tony says with as much of an innocent tone as possible. "I ain't got nobody to raise me right".

"I take offense to that, Sir." Jarvis quips, which draws a boisterous laugh from Steve and a scowl from Tony.

"Traitor. Yeah, ok, Jarvis does right by me. Can you let me down?"

"Mmmm, no." Steve grins at Tony's shocked look. "I think you need to learn not to spy on people. Maybe this will teach you a lesson".

"Wha- TRAITOR! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT OR SO HELP ME GOD-"

"No, Tony. Be nice".

"Natasha gets to spy on people!" Tony protests.

"Natasha can keep her mouth shut." Nat says from the corner or the room, not glancing up. "Steve, how was your little chat with Howard?"

"It went about as well as expected. He still thinks that we kidnapped his son." Steve sighs before putting Tony down, letting him free to get a glass of water. While he gets it from the fridge, Howard makes his way over, standing next to the island in the kitchen while glaring at Tony. He eventually approaches, but Tony knows he's been seen, if not by Steve then by Nat, and he's not afraid.

"Anthony, come with me." Howard say quietly, curtly, as if saying it any louder will disrupt the balance of the universe. Tony shakes his head vigorously, and when Howard sees he isn't going to do what he asked, he reaches out and grabs Tony's arm, pulling him. "Anthony, now".

Tony knew it was likely his father would use force against him. What he didn't know is how terrifying it would feel, despite knowing it was coming. He gives a sharp cry of pain, alerting his friends to the fact that something is wrong, but Howard simply grips tighter, hurting him more as he struggles to get away.

"Howard!" Steve yells, and Howard lets go, simply turning and asking what's wrong, and if he didn't just try to drag Tony away to beat the shit out of him. Nat kneels on the other side of him, gently taking his arm and examining it.

"What the hell was that?" Steve growls, getting right up in Howard's face. For the first time in a long time, Tony sees fear cross his father's face; Fear of the man in front of him, fear of the future, fear for his life.

There is no fear for the thing he's done. No regret of any kind. Tony almost hates him for that.

"Steven." Nat says calmly just as the yelling is about to begin. Steve looks down, sees something on Tony's arm that makes his eyes go wide. Tony turns to observe his arm, and finds it to be purple and swollen where Howard grabbed him. It's probably fractured, maybe even broken. God, he hopes not.

"Is it bad?" Tony hears the tremble in his voice, feels the way it shakes on it's way out of his mouth. He feels like crying, but he's so scared of his father he represses the tears.

"Tony. It's ok to cry. I know it must hurt." Nat says gently, and even though she is so good, that's quite possibly the worst thing she could have said.

"Hmf. Stark men are made of iron. Stark men do not cry." Howard says snootily, and Tony can feel his glare boring through his soul.

"Howard. Do us all a favor and shut the fuck up." Steve says drily. Howard starts to laugh, but it dies quickly in his throat, and the fear comes back. "Do you know what you did? You hurt him, Howard, and that means you just declared war on him. And when you declare war on him, you declare war on all of us. And we are not nearly as forgiving, Howard, so you better pray that when we come for you, you die quickly".

"Do not kill him!" Tony shouts before slapping a hand over his mouth. Howard was pissed before, but now that Tony has spoken up, it's worse. He can practically hear the lecture; 'I don't need your sympathy, you brat. You're lucky to be alive, you know that? I don't need you to stand up for me, you useless piece of-'

"Shit!" Howard yelps, and when Tony looks up, a black eye is already forming. Steve has him by the collar, the red mark on his cheek already fading. Tony doesn't need all the details to know Howard slapped Steve, and he certainly doesn't need the details to know that was a mistake.

"You really want to pick a fight with me, Howard? Do I need to remind you what I'm capable of? What I can do to you with just one hand?" Steve growls, slamming Howard into the wall. "I dare you to try that again. I fucking dare you".

"Babe!" Bucky squawks running over as Nat finishes binding Tony's upper arm. It still hurts, but much less now. Tony clutches Nat, who picks him up and carries him to his room so Bruce can examine him there.

Tony later hears that Howard was lucky to get off with a black eye and two bruised ribs. According to Bucky, Steve wanted to shove a knife up his ass.

"I don't think it'd fit with the stick already in there." Tony says plainly.

Steve's laughter is audible from two rooms away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been maybe two weeks since Howard and Maria Stark showed up in Tony's lab, and Tony knows he's close to completing repair of the machine. Sam is working with him that evening, because Bruce is at another science thing and no one else wants to. Eventually, Tony gets tired, and Sam starts to walk him to bed.

Neither of them sees Howard coming. He sneaks up from behind, and the only thing that alerts Tony to his presence is the strong smell of a cheap wine, one he hates and only knew Howard to drink. Tony has barely enough time to pull away from Howard's grasp before Sam is whacked upside the head with the wine bottle so hard it shatters. Sam drops hard, and Tony cries out as Howard grips his arm in the same place it was injured a few days ago.

"Jarvis, red alert!" Tony shouts, only to feel panic when Jarvis cooly announces that feature has been disabled. He tries blinker location, even turning off his gridpoint, but with every negative answer, his suspicions are only more confirmed; Howard hacked Jarvis.

"Jarvis, slow transition to midnight mode." Tony shouts, pulling away from Howard just enough to touch the wall.

"Beginning transition." Jarvis hums, and Tony feels relief as he kicks the wall three times, evenly spaced knocks that bring the lights down for exactly one second, accompanied by a shrill beep. Howard snaps his glare towards the ceiling, pissed that something Tony said worked.

"Jarvis, turn whatever the hell that is off." Howard slurs, and damn, Tony can tell he's plastered. His words run together, and his 't's come out too soft, his 's's dropping off at the end of the word. Howard glares at the ceiling again, pissed that Jarvis hasn't complied. "Jarvis! Are you fucking listening to me?"

"He is most certainly not, you stupid bastard. Now, lemme go." Tony kicks at Howard's leg, but it does little more than anger him, and when he throws Tony against the wall shortly after, the daze it causes is enough to keep him from running as Howard starts hitting him, hard, across his face, his back, his chest. Tony tries to shield himself, but then the belt comes out and when it stings Tony's cheek like a poison tongue, Tony does start to cry a little.

"Stop crying." Howard slurs, the sharp sting of the belt hitting Tony's chest, legs, and arms. "Stop fucking crying, you piece of shit. You had this coming to you".

"No." Tony whimpers, hiding his face from attack. No, he did not do anything to deserve this. He didn't do anything to deserve Howard Stark as a father.

"No?" The belt lashes across his cheeks against, and then Howard is grabbing him, pinning him against the wall, his back facing out. "No? I dare you to say it again boy. I fucking dare you".

"No!" Tony cries, and the icy lash comes across his back this time, the belt cutting through his clothes and slicing his skin. It is an expert hand that does this, and the louder Tony cries, the harder it comes. The cold sting of the belt is always replaced by the hot flash of blood, and even though it hurts, even though his father demands he be silent, Tony calls out for his friends.

It takes them five minutes. Five minutes from when he first activated Blackout mode to when Steve steps between him and the belt. Ten minutes from Howard dropping Sam to Nat slamming him into the wall, tracing a thin line right down his back with a silver blade. Fifteen minutes from when Tony decided he wanted to go to bed to Bruce carrying him to the Medical Bay, his eyelids heavy and his limbs weak. He feels the heat in his skin grow until it envelops his whole body, fiery flames licking just underneath his skin.

When he is conscious again, Bruce tells him that he was running a fever, and that it's been two days since they locked Howard up in one of the isolation rooms. Tony manages to nod weakly, then passes out again. The next day, he feels strong enough to go down to the reactor room and lift the blackout. He barely manages to input the code before passing out again. He awakens passing by the blasted contraption that caused this whole ordeal, and when his fingers reach out and ghost over the surface of the dish, he feels a sharp shock that stays with him until he passes out again.

~1974, Manhattan, New York. Stark Residence~

Tony opens his eyes to find his parents downstairs, arguing about who drove them home last night and how could Howard say such a thing to that nice young lady with the red hair, and hadn't that man looked a little like Steve Rogers? Tony doesn't care that his parents forgot his birthday again, he's just glad that they're back. In his perception, it's only been twelve hours. Twelve hours since his parents disappeared.

~2015, Manhattan, New York. Avenger's Tower~

Tony opens his eyes and find his body back to normal. Completely normal. The arc reactor is gone, has been for a while judging by the scars, and Pepper is on his left, yelling at some idiot businessman who didn't manage to hold up his end of the deal.

"You tell 'em, Peps." He moans weakly, getting her attention and putting down her phone, ending the very important business call for him. Pepper gushes about how Howard's gone for good now, and that it's ok, he's never coming back, and she was so proud of him for standing up to his asshole dad, and if it wasn't terribly forward of her, could she ask him to marry her?

Tony cries a little when she pulls out a box, a jewelry box with a necklace inside, a necklace that says 'My Anthony' on it. In another box, there's a matching necklace that says 'My Virginia', and when Tony puts it on Pepper, she starts crying a little, too.

Later, the Avenger's come in and congratulate Tony on his engagement, and tell him that he'll never have to see Howard's face again, but all he can think is *I did it, Dad. I got everything I wanted, and more. I got it all, despite you screwing me up*

And that's the last he thinks of Howard Stark for a long time.


End file.
